Service Tax Collections Up
The Chief Controller of Accounts reported that Service Tax collection went up 62.83% year on year from USD 3.19 billion to USD 5.19 billion.<More>

Steel Projects Suffer as Govt Plans Ore Export
Major steel projects announced largest year with much publicity have reportedly not started because of administrative difficulties and iron ore supply issues while the Government plans to export high quality Iron Ore to China and Japan.<More>

Democracy,
Politics and Judiciary

Development of Unorganized Sector
The Government is working on a positive draft that seeks to bring development benefits such as health care, sick benefits, maternity benefits, and life insurance to 362 million workers in the unorganized sector earning less than Rs. 6500 a month.<More>

Indian Political Perceptions on Religion
Information & Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said that he has asked the board that certifies films not to approve the Da Vinci Code movie before he gets a nod from the Catholic Church.<More>

Environment,
Health and Education

Bird Flu Spreads in Indonesia
Indonesia said that it found the H5N1 virus in its easternmost province Papua among fighting cocks possibly imported from neighboring Sulawesei Island.<More>

Indo-British Naval Exercises
India and the United Kingdom (UK) fielded their navies in a second exercise that involving an aircraft carrier, nuclear submarines, guided missile frigates, missile destroyers, supply tankers, and 1 embedded French ship off the Konkan coast.
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Vacancies & Exodus Plague Defense
Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Parliament that 27% of the Army's strength below the rank of Lt. Colonel was vacant due to shortage of suitable candidates.<More>

Neighbors

No Siachen Pullout, Troop Reduction in J&K
Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Parliament that India would not pullout of Siachen as it did not get ironclad guarantees from Pakistan and that the threat perception has not changed to warrant a troop reduction.<More>

Iran Ridicules EU Offer
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ridiculed the European Union (EU) proposal that offers incentives for Iran to give up ambitions to enrich uranium fuel likening the offer of "candy for gold."<More>

World

India-US to Meet on Nuke Deal; US No to Pak
Even as Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and US Under-Secretary of Political Affairs Nicholas Burns plan to meet to try iron out last minute hurdles in the Indo-US Civilian Nuclear deal, the US firmly spurned Pakistan's request for a similar deal.<More>

France Promises to Lobby for India in NSG
Even as the US Congress deliberates the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, France has promised that it will pitch for India at the plenary session of the 44-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting in Rio de Janeiro later this month.<More>

The
Bill on National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme seeks to provide
guaranteed employment to one
member of every rural household
for at least 100 days a year for a
minimum wage of Rs.60 per day.
Out of 260 million poor people in
the country, about 200 million
poor people are in rural areas.
People in 45% rural India do not
get work for six months in a year.